Iranian Sanctions Cause Investment Growth in Georgia A Potential Red-Faced Moment for US and EU Authorities Shaun M. Hassett, CAMS, CDDP A recent Wall Street Journal Article’s opening line reads: “Economic … Read More

Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb ASIN: B0083DJWGO – List $30.00 There is fragile, robust and now – Anti-fragile. What Taleb calls “antifragile” is that category of things … Read More

Due Diligence Fails Some Examples to Take Note of… In this month’s Aegis Journal we invite you to look at two cases that include distinct failures in the Due Diligence Process. Each of these, to say the least, … Read More

Sensitivity Analysis and Making An Enemy In any assessment using competitive intelligence you need to find you competitors products that are making them the largest margins and offer your competing product at cost … Read More

No, You Do Not Do EP Like The Secret Service In June I was in San Jose California meeting some of my team members for the upcoming IBA training conference in Arizona this August.  One of my team members was … Read More

Virtual Currency In the Wake of Mt. Gox, and Liberty Reserve ~ Where do we Go From Here? There has been plenty of excitement over the past several months in the land of virtual currencies as viable alternatives to … Read More

Gypsies! Your intrepid editors know no bounds of frauds and this one was, for even us, new and funny.  The Romana or the Gypsies of Europe are a persistent threat to the unaware.  They will requisition anything … Read More

Conflict Minerals New Rules On “Hot Rocks” Further Impact Corporations and Financial Institutions The Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly known as Zaire), or DRC, has been called one of the most violent … Read More

Samsung NX1000 Camera I have gone through about 10 digital cameras in 15 years.  All under a three hundred dollars. I take pictures for fun, for work and just to remember places I have been and seen.  My first … Read More

Do We Need More Do Diligence? How much due diligence do we need?  What sort of due diligence do we need?  What do we need to get to make sure we have our due diligence covered?  Is this due diligence? How much … Read More

An Exercise in Business Continuity In a  conversation with a senior officer of a large university we discussed operational continuity and what is important. It gave me a lot to think about, what does a major … Read More

Dining Out Our charges often wish to dine out, either as part of entertaining or they are traveling. Handling this common event is easy if you follow a few rules and dangerous if you do not. Must do – know the … Read More

AML and The Securities Industry The securities industry is in for a very rude and expensive awaking.  The securities markets, commodities markets, and hedge funds are being used to launder money. No, they are not … Read More

Be Prepared for the Subpoena A good investigator was surprised that on a small domestic relations case – all of his records were subpoenaed in an overly broad overreaching subpoena. My guess is that he did some … Read More

“Old MacDonald” of Sanctions Compliance and Customer Due Diligence If you are keeping score, it seems that Sanctions Compliance is a bit like the old nursery rhyme Old MacDonald Had a Farm. You know “…here … Read More

Yemen – The Unknown Arabia by Tim Macintosh-Smith  ISBN 1-58567-001-4  Published at $35.00 by Overlook. I was wandering through a used book store in Prescott, Arizona.  We had just finished a project in Yemen … Read More

Due Diligence: Investigating the Investor Due diligence is often thought of as a process to be used by the one with the money, to be applied to the representations of the party seeking the money. Thus, why does … Read More

The Last Remake of Due Diligence • 2008 – HOT TOPIC, TRENDING NOW SERIES. BEING PROACTIVE. As the new regulatory regime takes hold with increasing requirements for due diligence. (Thompson Reuters Brochure or … Read More

OPSEC and IPCI, You’re Never Too Small. Is it fair that the large and the well moneyed companies steal a start-up company’s IPCI? Fairness does not matter, this is what happens. Small companies, entrepreneurial … Read More

Are You Too Small To Need Executive Protection? The need for Executive Protection is unrelated to the size of your bank account or the size of your company.  The need for Executive Protection is a threat based … Read More

National Background Checks for $25.00? You see the ads sent to Human Resources Departments, National Background checks for only $25.00.   Really, for only $25.00 someone has a database that can check each and … Read More

The Competitor Knows All You’re a small business, you run a series of stores located at malls.  You have simple merchandise and there are really few if any barriers to entry.  So what do you care if your … Read More

They’re Too Big to Fail, But What About Too Small? In the Compliance world there is Too Big to Fail… you know, the global financial institutions that are so large that some question whether they are even capable … Read More

The Investment of Travel in Children The editors and contributors of this publication travel a great deal.  We are the savants of our slice in our professions and our narrow bands of knowledge are desired by many … Read More

The Not So Strange Case of Tangerine Investment Management and Axiom Legal Financing Fund I have been watching the story of Timothy (Tim) Paul Schools, Tangerine Investment Management (TIM) and Axiom Legal … Read More

Some Signs of Money Laundering Laundering money is moving money in such a way that the sole economic purpose behind the movement is deny to a viewer or participant the ability of ever knowing the real source of the … Read More

Due Diligence, Standards and The Law If the duty to exercise due diligence is fulfilled, you will have a better hand in court proceedings. But who sets the standards for due diligence? The ISO sets the standards … Read More

Trends In Intellectual Property Loss – A Private Survey Intellectual property loss is defined as any theft, misappropriation, or inadvertent disclosure of an organization’s intellectual property or proprietary … Read More

Do You Need Executive Protection So you are a billionaire – do you need Executive Protection? It not a question of wealth but of risk.  Any person thinking about executive protection should have a risk assessment … Read More

Too Big To Jail? Well, Maybe Not According to a Reuter’s news article, dated March 22, 2013, The U.S. Treasury is changing its previous posture and plans to hold bankers personally responsible (including … Read More

What Social Media Should I Use? As a business person it depends upon where your customers can be found as well as the marketing model you have designed to reach those customers. If you really know who you customers … Read More

Brazilian LTN Bonds Here, for both your edification and reading enjoyment, is a story of yet another scheme of “bogus bonds” flying around the world of fringe finance. The Brazilian Letra do Tesouro Nacional … Read More

Corruption How Do We Stop It Corruption is Fiscal Terrorism?  I have seen this argument and we have a good deal of empathy for the assertion and legitimacy in the assertion of the argument. The difference between … Read More

No More Saturday Mail A vast majority of those surveyed both in business and at home say that the loss of Saturday mail delivery will not affect them very much. But let’s view this in a bit of a different … Read More

Time To Sell Your Business Most businesses are service-based businesses and or, if you will, consultancies.  What do you, as an owner, need to do to get your business ready for sale? Some of the standard answers … Read More

Near Field Communications, Dangers with Cell Phones and Wireless Cards. Technology can be our friend and our aid and, at the same time, it can make our job very difficult. Near Field Communications (NFC) is the … Read More

Academic Doping Academic doping is the off-label use of nootropic drugs “Smart Drugs” for the purposes of improving cognitive ability. These drugs are normally used to treat neurocognitive disorders such as … Read More

Evernote Evernote is easily the best known notes app on any platform. You can snap pictures on your phone, write out a store list, store a PDF eBook, and jot down some important class notes, all in the same app. It … Read More

Due Diligence – Innovation Michael Porter’s Monitor Group went bankrupt. You say who? Michael Porter is a PhD from Harvard who discovered that some companies possess the ability to generate excess and … Read More

A Question Of Due Diligence The crime of money laundering continues to be a growing area of concern in the United States. Law enforcement agencies and the financial sector devote considerable time and resources to … Read More

United States v Nosal In United States v. Nosal the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit held that an employee’s use of confidential information, in violation of their duties to the company and for … Read More

Attempted Assassination of Ahmed Dogan This last month there was an attempted assassination of Ahmed Dogan, the leader of the Bulgarian Movement for Rights and Freedom.  He was in the process of giving his … Read More

Felons In The Workforce In 2010 it is estimated that 19.8 million people representing 8.6% of the population of the United States have a felony conviction.  This is almost double what it was in 1980. Within some … Read More

Top Stress Management Techniques You Can Apply NOW Gail Kasper, Author, Television Host It seems that life just doesn’t get easier and we can never catch a break. Every day we run into so much that needs our … Read More

Newest Iranian Sanction Developments US Treasury Advisory: Iran and the Use of Exchange Houses and Trading Companies to Evade U.S. Economic Sanctions against Iran. On January 10, 2013, the U.S. Treasury’s Office … Read More

Hello Kitty Bubbles Gun It appears that this bubbles gun in the mind of a 5 year old is a weapon of terror.  Yep – a bubble head at Mt Carmel Middle School thought that when a 5 year old wanted to shoot bubbles at … Read More

Due Diligence: Fool or Fraudster? When we are tasked with looking at the investment of business partners we tend to look for, quite reasonably, a fatal flaw – a reason to say no. This quick discussion is for … Read More

Due Diligence – Time To Sell The Business Our clients typically made their wealth as business persons. They established, ran and nurtured enterprises that grew and provided their families and their charities with … Read More

CMOS terahertz waves IEEE – Abstract of an article… Up until recently, the terahertz frequency range (0.3 to 3THz) has been mostly addressed by high-mobility custom III-V processes, bulky and expensive nonlinear … Read More

USA 1934 Series Bonds Going back 27 years ago I saw my first 1934 Series Bonds – Federal Reserve Note Coupon Bond.  I was told the story of how these bonds were part of a secret cache of bonds from WWII.  The … Read More

Patent Search Tools Some good patent search tools when doing patent research or looking for help with the research. Resources The US Patent and Trademark Office (www.uspto.gov/) has an excellent pubic interface.  … Read More

Bodyguard Arrests 2012 Over the years I have amassed a small collection of stories about bodyguard being arrests, here is my collection for 2012. Wrong Place with Weapons Patrick Burke, bodyguard to Michael Moore … Read More

Build On The Spiritual Side Of Life                                                                                     by Gail Kasper Are we a bunch of robots? No, of … Read More

Sue Doyle, Travel Agent Extraordinaire Your faithful Aegis Editors log a lot of miles each and every year, not a million as some nut did this year, but a lot and to difficult destinations. We are not the road … Read More

NACHA Banker “Its beginning to look a lot like… fraud! During the end of the year with Holiday celebrations, year-end activities and planning for the year ahead, it is also a good time to remind you that the … Read More

Chinese CPAs, Audit Failures (Press Release from Securities and Exchange Commission) “Washington, D.C., Dec. 3, 2012 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today began administrative proceedings against the … Read More

Patent Whiners I have been reading a series of stories in the Wall Street Journal, Tech Republic, Business Week, Wired etc.. about what a horrible world it is as people are working with Patent Trolls to enforce … Read More

Suits If you are going to wear a suit get it tailored. I have seen more undercover officers and EP who look like heck in nice suits.  Some pointers when buying suits. Get measured for your shirts and try them … Read More

Background Checks, if you advertise them, you better do them. In a matter of little consequence we found an item of great consequence.  We were asked to perform a due diligence check on a plumbing company that was … Read More

Israeli Security Recently I traveled through Jordan on my way to the Palestinian Association of CPAs Conference in Ramallah.  Coming across the King Husain Bridge through the Allenby Checkpoint I spent over 3 … Read More

Trade Based Money Laundering The money launders have been moving physical cash as well as using the financial systems to move money for years and years.  And while the “Black Market Peso Exchange” has been … Read More

Nu Finish Scratch Doctor Ok, don’t laugh too hard.  But this product saved me a great deal.  While on a road trip with a rental car I was side swiped in a parking lot at hotel.  No kiss, no thank you and no … Read More

Due Diligence: Sanctions and Insurance Iran used to sail its ships under the flags of Iran, Cyprus and Malta. As these ships came to be known as beneficially owned or operated by Iran, Iran reflagged these ships in … Read More

CPAs are Not Fraud Auditors or Security Professionals I am frustrated with two forms of over reach by the accounting profession. One is the public and many professionals view auditors and CPAs as some sort of Good … Read More

Conflict of Interest Sometimes I want to scream at professionals who are just not thinking, or accuse them of complicity because what they have done is so egregious. In a recent matter a bakery was sold and there … Read More

Data Extortion It is not new but it is becoming much more common.  Many hackers have found that information that is stolen, much like jewelry, has a poor resale value.  An insurance company is more likely to pay … Read More

The Eyes and The Hands In any political function or celebrity or business function your client has to get in close and get to know people.  Small talk and getting to know people is part of the event.  People want … Read More

Data Breach Please go to and look at   http://www.privacyrights.org/data-breach I have been told by reliable sources that only about 20% of major data breaches are reported, thus for August we are looking at many … Read More

Disaster Recovery The US just had a Franken Storm, or the Perfect Storm, or The Storm of The Century.  Here are the smartest comments on what you – as a person – need to do from Brian Greenburg, CPA.   … Read More

Pakistan – Sanctions, terrorism and war. Sanctions are brewing against Pakistan. The United Nations is threatening sanction on Pakistan for failing to curb anti money laundering and terrorist financing.  Some … Read More

D. Glenn Foster 3 Faces Of The Liar I just spent 3 days with D Glenn Foster immersed in Kinesic Interview and Interrogation.  All I have to say is I am stunned that so much of what Glenn has developed to go after … Read More

Due Diligence from the Corner Sometimes due diligence is not as easy as one would like to think and compliance requires a bit more creativity. A client of ours works in many African countries. Their primary focus … Read More

Beneficial Ownership The US government and its regulators are working very hard on the clarification of what “beneficial ownership” is going to mean and the standards of care that institutions will be required … Read More

Open Source Innovation We all get it, innovate or die.   More acutely we must craft profitable innovations that are unique where above average margins can be harvested, at least for a bit of time. The idea of … Read More

Central Citadel or Discreet and Divergent I have seen many errors occurring that remind me of why the old castles and city walled villages went from a strategic necessity to a tactic liability.  These massive … Read More

CPA’s Are Accountants Not Security Experts From the AICPA Web Site SOC 2 Report on Controls at a Service Organization Relevant to Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality or Privacy These … Read More

Aegis Journal got hacked! With the recent changes to Google’s search engine, one can now do the opposite of Search Engine Optimization called Negative Search Engine Optimization.   Through leveraging certain … Read More

Practice at Laundering Money This was fun – oh my gosh this was fun! Every so often we challenge each other in the office to see how good our skills can be in the dark arts.  This month challenge was to launder … Read More

Sucuri.Net When the @#$%^& attacked our site we used a service to clean the site and it worked so well so quick, that even after we migrated the site to an actively secure site we have kept Scuri.Net. This … Read More

Due Diligence To Suit Yourself I have some amazing clients. What makes them amazing – is that I can help them make well-informed choices and they educate me in minutia of their respected industries. One client is a … Read More

A Second Passport Could Save Your Life Having a second passport and dual citizenship has numerous benefits. It can: •            Expand your travel and investment possibilities. … Read More

Meaningful Nondisclosure and Noncompetition Agreements As OPSEC professionals we are only too aware that the level of our security is exactly as low as our weakest link.  This becomes painfully obvious when our … Read More

Sorry About That Boss This is the last thing you say before you are out of work.  This is also about the only thing that could be said by those at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas and Prince Harry’ s personal … Read More

The Future of the Security Industry Jules Trocchi, CEO Security Direction International Ltd. The eminent 20th century psychologist Abraham Maslow placed security next in line after physiological drives in his … Read More

Fit Fun Into Your Personal Time To Maximize Your Success by Gail Kasper, Author, Television Host, Certified Fitness Trainer, and Motivational Speaker To be successful in your chosen profession or with a particular … Read More

The Confusion of CTR Exemptions Many institutions that handle large sums of money cause a good deal of problems for those who are required to file CTR – Currency Transaction Report.  The idea is that these … Read More

Hospitality Security, By Darrell Clifton, CPP Published by CRC Press  ISBN  978-1-4398-7436-3, $79.95 Hardcover and $29.36 Digital OK, I fully admit I have met Darrell and I met him at the 2012 Mensa Annual … Read More

Due Diligence – Inventions I have had the opportunity to have been part of teams that have performed due diligence investigations into one or another given invention. I say opportunity because it is really a … Read More

Preventing Mailing Frauds, Learn to Read a USPS 3602 Phony USPS form 3602 In a recent series of cases I have found publishers using dummied up or phony US Postal Service Form 3602 to defraud advertisers. So what is … Read More

Indicator Behavior and Pressures Lead to Problems in Media. Plagiarism, adjective festooned interviews, and other cases of reporter misconduct are indicators of a dying business model. Newspapers are not making … Read More

Know Your Limits If you agree to lift 110 lbs, and you already know you can lift 150 lbs, there is a reasonable expectation of success.  If you are then asked to lift 200 lbs – you know your chance of success is … Read More

The Bribe Xerxes Bribes Ephialtes with women and gold to betray the Spartans to the Persians. Olympics – The first recorded publicly disgraced cheat was Eupholus of Thessaly who, in 388 B.C., bribed three boxers to … Read More

Family Fitness During The Summer Months: Easy And Fun! by Gail Kasper, Author, Television Host, Certified Fitness Trainer, and Motivational Speaker Going on a family bike ride in your neighborhood. Swimming away … Read More

HSBC Screwed Up Really Big Shortly after you read this HSBC will have settled with the US regulators for allowing Iran to launder 250 Billion dollars – yeah $250 billion dollars. How much is that, well it’s just … Read More

The Trust, by Norb Vonnegut, $25.99 –  ISBN 978-1-250-00389-8 It took me a few days to get to the book after I picked up a copy and I must say – Well done Norb!  From South Carolina to Turks and Caicos this novel … Read More

Wi-Fi Blocking Wallpaper Researchers in Grenoble have had an original idea to prevent your Wi-Fi network from being hacked, you can use wallpaper that block your Wi-Fi signal from leaving the apartment and thus … Read More

Negotiation and Access to Information The general consensus is that people do not like conflict and thus conflict resolution is “hard” because of this distaste.   The “This is my financial answer on … Read More

The Dangers of Golf… or you are Fore Warned… The liability of a golfer for striking a golf ball is based on predictability of the mishap. In short what might be the “danger zones” (defined as the foreseeable … Read More

Strengthen Your Mental Fitness by Gail Kasper, Author, Television Host, Certified Fitness Trainer, and Motivational Speaker Staying mentally fit is as important as being physically fit. In the same way that you … Read More

Hey, who hacked my BMW? A client was being followed, every day he was followed.  Ron’s noticed his movements from home, to work, to pick up his kids – he was followed.  Ron is not the most observant, but he … Read More